


Dreams of Better Days

by RougueShadowWolf



Series: 15 Minutes [203]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Desperate Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Self Confidence Issues, Unlucky in Love Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 09:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougueShadowWolf/pseuds/RougueShadowWolf
Summary: Derek had been unlucky in love and lost all hope of ever finding a mate, and it seemed everyone but a few members of his pack and family still believed he’d find someone. Derek knew those who still had some hope he’d find his mate wouldn’t stop forcing him to attend the mating gathering until he found his mate.





	Dreams of Better Days

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, did you get lost or something? No? Oh my, well, hello and welcome!
> 
> In early August this series was written, but due to the surprising lack of a proper internet connection, I was required to post-pone the posting of this round of short stories. However, due to insomnia and allergy meds, the posting of these stories slipped my mind, or rather I thought I had done it and no one liked them, which threw me down into a dark well of self-doubt. Now, if my dearest ItAlmostWork! didn’t have a day all to herself and went to search for a couple of my fic’s this mistake would’ve gone unnoticed, and I would’ve continued to remain soaking in the dark pool of water of my misery well. 
> 
> To those familiar with 15Minutes series, carry on down to SLIGHT CHANGE, while those unfamiliar with this series take the time to read this for it will serve to help you make the right decision (which is to run the hell on out of here and find a better author), and it will explain what’s going on. 15Minutes is a series of short stories written by me, RougueShadowWolf, for a group of packmates (6 to be exact) and each story is a sort of payment to each of them, and each individual gives me some idea of what they wish me to write. Each story is written within the time of 15Minutes, which is the reason the series isn’t called 30Minutes and counting, once the time is up the story has to be presented to my friends and usually immediately uploaded. This time-limit thing ensures that the story is written in a panicked haze, it is full of mistakes in ways of typos and grammars, the plot is chaotic and the storytelling bad, and so it you cannot handle such things I urged you leave now and save yourself from further suffering. However, if you wish to continue, then go down to the section SLIGHT CHANGE for more information on this story.
> 
> SLIGHT CHANGE doesn’t bring a change in the time I have to write, but it brings the added bonus of a new challenge which is a Theme, theme at the moment is Broken, but ReadingIsLikeWellDry still has the power to wish for a few things such as the following; she wanted a story where unlucky in love goes to find a mate, but at the gathering he is seen more like a curse of sorts than someone to mate, but then Stiles turns-up to save the day.

There are various degrees of gasps, most of them leaning towards horrified and others of genuine surprise as he walks into the great ballroom of the Hesketh-Dubois Manor, this was a reaction Derek had become familiar with.

_`No. Goddamn it, he’s back. ´ _is the statement made by most individuals within the great room with gaudy gilded walls.

`_Fuck. Hale’s back._ ´ a female beta Derek had talked to briefly the previous year says, a beta who’d claimed she’d found her mate when Derek had just attempted to ask her if he could borrow a pen, it was seemed she’d lied to him; he’s surprised by how much the realization that she’d lied to him, even if he had no interest in spending the rest of his life with her, her scent was too sweat for his liking and she’d clearly been only interested in finding a partner that had the light-skin and hair colour as she had while looking down her nose at anyone who had dark-eye and hair combined with tan or darker skin.

_`Dude! That’s Derek Hale, he’s a fourteen-time loser. ´ _Derek hears someone say across the room, and he fights the instinct to glare towards the direction, instead he begins to search for his seat.

_`To hell with the seating arrangement, ´ _Derek hears someone else say, but it’s difficult to tell who it was since suddenly several individuals are hurrying off to make sure they didn’t have to sit next to him.

`God, fucking damn it. _I’m not sitting next to Hale. I don’t want to catch anything from him. ´ _his heart sinks a little bit more when he realizes just how unwelcomed he was.

_`No! Why fuck is Hale here? He’s cursed. Cursed I tell you. We’re all fucking doomed, doomed I tell you. ´ _an overly dramatic beta exclaims, cling to a fellow beta who looks rather horrified to see Derek there, both turning several shades paler when he glares at them.

The none too subtle whispers only serve to further sour his mood, and he’s done trying be courteous and nice towards people who didn’t even try and hide just how unhappy they were to see him.

_`Dude. Don’t go anywhere near him, or you’ll get cursed too. ´ _he hears a young man in his twenties say,_ `I sat with him during breakfast my first-year here and I ended-up going home without a mate. And last year, every year after that I’ve failed to find my mate because of him and his curse. ´ _

A familiar bell rings, and the Hesketh-Dubois sisters step forth into the room, both dressed in far too colourful dresses and wearing too much jewellery to appear stylish.

`Everyone, take your seat. ´ the taller sister says, voice too cheerful.

With a sigh Derek takes his seat, gritting his teeth when he hears more than one person declare that they wouldn’t sit next to him.

_`Fuck this. I’m not sitting next to him. ´ _a horrified looking human says, the beta with the woman nods in agreement.

_`I don’t care if he’s a Hale, I’m not sitting next to him. ´ _the fourth-born son of Alpha Kali declares to the younger Hesketh-Dubois who only sighs an answer of, `_Fine_. ´

`Oh my God! ´ a frustrated voice cries out from across the room, near the floor to ceiling windows, the noise drawing more than just Derek attention. The young man with skin pale as the winter moon, starts towards where Derek sits, the long lean body displaying the foul mood the young man.

Derek readies himself to another hostile interaction with some idiot who thought he or she could demand him to leave, he goes as far as to prepare himself for the possible punch in the face or being manhandled towards the exit, but instead what he gets is something he honestly wasn’t expecting.

`Dude, don’t listen to them. ´ the young man with eyes that change from ordinary brown to almost amber when the light catches them just right, `They’re just superstitious assholes with a case of stupidity. ´ the guy dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and red-hoodie continues while picking-up the off-white piece of paper situated on the chair right next to Derek and crumples it up into a ball before tossing it to the floor, and although Derek doesn’t know the name of this stranger he does know that this person isn’t the fourth-son of Alpha Kali.

The human drops down into the chair that hadn’t been reserved for him, stretching his long limbs before settling down and turning just enough to face a very shocked Derek. Although Derek can hear a lot of whispering and mumbling going on around them, he’s suddenly far too focused on this human who pretty much just gave the middle-finger to everyone in the room and disrespected the authority of the Hesketh-Dubois.

There’s something strangely familiar about the eyes that didn’t dart away from Derek’s own eyes, but he can’t put his finger on why he feels this way.

The human who reeked of anxiousness, and yet the guy sat there looking him straight in the eye and holding Derek’s gaze without effort, and there was nothing in those almost amber eyes that said that this guy was afraid of him.

Derek can’t help but feel that there’s nothing about this human that fits in with the norm of how to dress and act while attending this sort of affair, not the clothes or his mannerism or demeanour, and now that Derek looked around the room it was clear the human was there unaccompanied by a werewolf or one of those hunters a human could hire to ensure their safety.

Derek can hear the Hesketh-Dubois sisters begin to speak, repeating the same speech he’d heard for the past fourteen-years, all he hears is the rapid heartbeat of the human who didn’t behave the way one expected a human to behave in a room full of werewolves.

`So, Derek Hale, ´ the human says visibly uncomfortable where he is seated, Derek can hear just how nervous this guy was just by his now whispering voice, `looking for a proper mate, or just someone that would get Alpha Talia off of your back? ´

The question isn’t one Derek was prepared for, and he might stop breathing for a moment and his heart might even pause for a beat or two.

`If you just want someone to get your mom off of your back, I’d be willing to be your fake-mate. ´ the guy with an upturn of a nose and skin so fair it seemed almost unnatural.

`Or, rather, I’d be willing to be your mate, for a price. ´ they guy continues, eye contact lost as the guy looks down at the hand that was holding on tightly to something Derek could see. 

`What? ´ is the only sane thing to say when someone came up to you and offered to be your mate for a price.

`Listen, ´ the human sighs then, exhaustion heavy with this exhale of a fragile breath, and it’s only now that Derek sees the dark circles underneath the pair of brown-eyes, `I can tell that you are no more interested in going through the process than what I am, ´ and as the guy turns to look at him, all Derek sees in those eyes is desperation but also a fist-full of understanding.

`You shouldn’t have to suffer through this, especially when everyone here seems to think you aren’t worth their time, which isn’t right. You are worth the time, but people can be goddamn stupid sometimes. ´ the guy continues, and Derek is surprised to find that the guy seems to genuinely believe that he deserved better, that he Derek Hale, the cursed one, deserved better.

`Now, like, I do see my reflection, so I know I’m not much to look at. ´ the guy continues, voice low and full of unnecessary self-loathing since Derek couldn’t see anything outright unattractive about the guy sitting next to him. 

`And I might not bring much to the table. I’m not well-connected, and I’m pretty much broke, so there’s no increase in fortune in mating with me, ´ there was such misery to be heard in the sorrowful voice of the young man, that Derek couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy.

`But - but what I will bring is loyalty, companionship, and I’m not a bad cook and I can bake…´

`Why are you doing this? ´ Derek cuts in, questioning what would drive someone to pretty much sell themselves in such a way, `You do know that once we’re mated, there’s no divorce, only death will part you from me. ´

`I know. ´ the guy says then, there’s almost an air of defeat there, but that doesn’t last long as the guy continues `I’m also well aware what would happen if I was ever unfaithful, I’ve done my research. I’ve made charts of the pros and cons. ´ and Derek hears the truth in the words spoken, he can also hear just how much this person sitting next to him doesn’t care for the idea that he might be seen as someone stupid, for the heat of bitter anger burns in every word spoken, `I may not have masters-degree in my back pocket, but that doesn’t make me dumb or uneducated. ´

`Listen, ´ Derek cuts in, worried that soon there would be unwanted attention drawn to them as the volume of the human grew as he continued on defending the honour of his intelligence, placing his hand on the one that was clenched into a tight fist, Derek continues, `I wasn’t suggesting you aren’t intelligent. I don’t know you enough to make that sort of judgement, and I know that the Hesketh-Dubois wouldn’t allow someone who isn’t at least aware of what this step would intel. ´ the tightness of the delicate shoulders relaxes a bit, and the hint of a glare around the eyes drops while a breath Derek hadn’t realized the guy was holding escapes through a set of lips that continued to draw his attention.

`I - I just, I need to make sure, ´ Derek continues, hesitantly, afraid he’d say something wrong and send this guy running to someone else, someone who’d take advantage of this desperate human sitting next to him.

` Listen, ´ the human sighs, and he seems somehow so defeated that one could’ve thought he’d battled the whole world and lost each time, `I know what will happen if I stray, and that alone is enough to ensure I wouldn’t do that, but like I’ve already said, I’m loyal and I wouldn’t be unfaithful to you because that’s not okay. ´ Derek is surprised by just how firmly this human believes that he wouldn’t cheat on him, and just one look into the eyes of this peculiar human has Derek believing him.

`I’ll be your mate, I’ll be the mate you need, if you’re willing to help keep my dad from losing his house. ´ Derek was genuinely surprised by the price of this human and his freedom, it wasn’t one he was expecting and there’s probably something about the expression he wears that makes the human repeat his price.

There’s a moment of silence between them after that while Derek attempted to understand the offer the younger male had made him, and while Derek was trying to digest what had been said the stranger next to him had turned his attention towards the sheet of paper set before him; hesitantly the unfamiliar young man began to answer the seven questions set before them, questions that hadn’t changed the slightest bit during the fourteen-years Derek had attended mating gathering.

Still ignoring the questions he’d found useless, Derek cleared his throat to draw the attention of the human, who snapped his wide-eyed attention to him.

`You - you _do_ understand, ´ Derek starts, speaking rather slowly and keeping his voice low enough not to draw unwanted attention, `if – if we did this – this thing you’re suggesting, there are things we’ll have to do. ´

`Remember, I’m not an idiot. ´ the human responds sharply, and after a rather angry huff continues to say, `I know we have to do the deed and all that. I know you have to, fuck me and bite me. I get it, alright. I’m not four. I know about the whole mating process, I did read the pamphlet, and I’ve suffered through the both human and werewolf sex-education. _And_ guess what I can read too, not only pamphlets, like actual books that haven’t been written by angry little hunters and anti-werewolf lunatics. I’ve also subscribed to various werewolf news sites just to keep up to date with the werewolf community. I also took werewolf history and culture classes in at my community college, that’s of course until I had to dropout. I’m not an uneducated idiot. ´

`I – I’m sorry if I offended you. ´ Derek said softly, his apology genuine, and he averts his gaze from the human that clearly had an interest in werewolves, and for once it didn’t set alarm-bells ringing inside his head to hear that a human was genuinely interested in his kind.

`Sorry. ´ the human who’s name Derek had yet to learn sighed, running a hand over his face and Derek can positively feel just how exhausted this person sitting next to him was. This human was someone who had been pushed to the brink, and now here he was searching for a way to remove some of his worries.

Before speaking again, the guy with sad eyes glances back at the hand that held some small item that seemed to give this peculiar person the strength to go through with all of this, `It – it hasn’t been easy, everyone I know is against this and I just – I’m just done being treated like I don’t know what I’m doing. And, none of that is your fault, none, and I get it, and it’s wrong of me to snap at you, ´ Derek is surprised by the genuine nature of the apology given and the words that followed, `And if it matters at all to you, I think you are a pretty cool guy for trying to make sure I’m not walking into this all blind. ´

`It’s fine. ´ is all that Derek can think to say, but it’s pretty clear that this person sitting next to him and offering to spent the rest of his life with him, didn’t feel that his behaviour was fine.

`No, no it isn’t. ´ the human sighs, `I shouldn’t snap at you since I _need_ you, and you don’t deserve my shitty temper today. ´ 

There’s something about the way the human says _I need you,_ that draws Derek’s attention, and it’s not just because the human heart didn’t skip a beat. There’s something there that makes him think that this human really believes that he’s the only werewolf in this room that he needs.

`Why me? ´ Derek can’t help but ask, Derek continues while feeling strangely uneasy suddenly, `I’m sure you could get someone else to agree…´

`You’re the only one from Beacon Hills. ´ is the honest and genuinely surprising answer, and it’s not at all the sort of answer Derek had been expecting, he’d been ready to hear it was because of just how wealthy his family was and even that it was the power they held, he’d half-expected to hear the human say that it was because he found him attractive enough, but no, it was because of Beacon Hills.

Derek’s expression probably is enough to tell the human that he needs some sort of an explanation, because the human soon opens his hand that had been holding on tightly to what appeared to be a badge.

`I – I can’t risk being mated to someone who might force me to leave Beacon Hills, I need to keep an eye on my old-man, you know, I can’t do that if I’m stuck somewhere outside of Beacon County. ´ and now that Derek is looking at the badge, Derek’s surprised by finding the badge to belong to the Sheriff of his hometown.

`You’re from Beacon Hills? ´ Derek says then, and as he looks up at the younger male, the human nods then, short but firm, a flash of anger can be seen pass in those brown eyes, but the surge of negative emotion is brief swiftly replaced by wariness and exhaustion.

`I’m not surprised you don’t know or recognize me. ´ the human sighs after a brief pause, eyes downcast, `Why would you? You’re a Hale, and I’m just – I’m just me, a stupid human kid who is here ready to beg you to agree to this mating offer. ´

`What’s your name? ´ Derek asks then, not even trying to make any excuse for the fact that he doesn’t know this person seated next to him, Derek was just a beta and didn’t need to know everyone in Beacon Hills unlike his mother and sister or his uncle.

`Stiles. ´ the human, Stiles, tells him.

`Stiles? ´ Derek says, doubting that this was the real name of the younger male, and yet the name seemed to ring a bell in his head.

Stiles nods simply, watching him carefully, almost expectantly.

`That - that can’t be your real name. ´ Derek states surely which earns him a sight that made him think he’d suddenly disappointed Stiles, which wasn’t something Derek wished to do so soon in their possible relationship.

`It’s the only name I go by. The one my dad gifted me with – it’s a mouthful, and I’m not even sure I can pronounce it without butchering it. ´ Stiles confesses, voice dropping with something rather sorrowful once the faire skinned man mentioned his father, `So it’s Stiles. ´

`How bad could that name of yours be? ´ Derek asks, and with an annoyed huff Stiles moves the paper that sat on his lap, handing it over for Derek to look at, tapping at the part where Stiles had to write his full-name.

`Stiles it is. ´ Derek agrees after seeing the monstrosity of a name Stiles had been given, and then just then after speaking it hits him why Stiles had made a few bells ring inside his head, and why Stiles had the Sheriff’s badge and the reason for his desire to mate with someone from Beacon Hills. 

_Stilinski. Stilinski. Stilinski. _

Derek’s heart begins to race, and his stomach turns with guilt, and he can barely give voice to his next question, _`_Stilinski, as in Sheriff Stilinski_? ´ _

Stiles gives him a short, sad nod, and Derek feels a wave of guilt and misery hit him straight in the chest, knocking out the air form his lunges and dislodging his heart.

` Hey, ´ he vaguely hears Stiles say, over and over again, until his face is framed by two sets of cool hands and although he doesn’t have the courage to look into the eyes of the Sheriff Stilinski’s son, the guy tells him to look him in the eye and Derek obeys like some well-trained puppy.

`Listen to me, ´ Stiles goes on to say once Derek dares to look at him, there’s something unyielding in the way this human looks at him, and not once does Stiles’ heart skip a beat or change its steady but rabbit quick beat as he speaks, `Listen to me, Derek, what happened to my dad wasn’t your fault. ´

Derek is so taken aback by just how earnest Stiles appeared to be, it’s almost as if he truly believed that Derek wasn’t at fault for what had happened to the most loved Sheriff of Beacon Hills who no longer was the Sheriff of their hometown.

`The fire, ´ Stiles says, voice firm in certainty that Derek isn’t clearly allowed to disagree with Stiles view on the matter, ` that wasn’t your fault. It was Kate Argent. What happened to my dad wasn’t your fault. Kate lit the fire, and my dad made the choice to act without thinking about his own safety. A Stilinski-family trait that, so be prepared for me possibly doing some dumb shit in the future, if, of course, you’ll have me. ´

`But I…´ Derek starts, but Stiles cuts him off stubbornly, and Derek would swear he sees something shimmer beneath the deep pools of amber. 

`No. It wasn’t your fault. She targeted you, she fooled everyone even those two old ladies over there, ´ Stiles nodded in the direction of the Hesketh-Dubois sisters, `Kate was determined to hurt your pack, your family, and that wasn’t your fault, Derek. ´

`But…´ Derek starts again, but the son of the man who’d saved Derek’s whole family but had to pay a dreadful price for his bravery.

Reaching out to rest his own hand above Derek’s, slipping his own long fingers between Derek’s own fingers, squeezing tightly and a peculiar warmth spread through Derek’s whole body then, and as Stiles’ other hand goes to rest on his broad shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze Derek feels suddenly able to breathe again.

`If your family doesn’t blame you, then you don’t get to blame yourself. ´ Stiles declares with almost an air to him that could’ve fooled any one to believe he an alpha in disguise.

Giving Derek’s hand another squeeze drawing Derek, takes a good look at this person who had every reason to blame him for every misfortune that had befallen him and his father, and what he doesn’t find is judgement or anger in those brown-eyes and it baffled Derek; he was once more left breathless as he sees only understanding, sympathy with a hint of pity, and it was such an unforeseen thing to find.

` Listen, dude, if my dad doesn’t blame you, then you definitely do not get to blame yourself. ´ Stiles continues, his voice gentle but firm, and again Derek swears he sees something shift in those eyes of Stiles.

`What about you? If I hadn’t – then you wouldn’t…´ Derek struggles to say, his too weak to voice the thoughts inside his head, he’s too afraid to point out that it was his mistake that had driven Stiles into a situation, a situation where Stiles was stuck offering himself up in hopes of saving his father from losing what little he had left.

`I did. ´ Stiles confesses, understanding again for some strange reason what Derek was thinking, and at the moment unable to say.

`I did. ´ Stiles says again, but there’s no harshness behind this small declaration, `When I was younger. Still hurting from the loss of my mother, stuck watching my dad suffer, back then I did blame you. It was easier that way. ´ Stiles tells him, still holding on to Derek’s hand, keeping Derek from escaping his hold, not knowing that Derek didn’t want him to let go of him.

Stiles’ touch, his hold on him, made it easier to breathe and it calmed something inside of him.

`But, I was just a kid and blaming you was easier. ´ Stiles confesses, there’s a surprising amount of shame and regret to find in not only Stiles’ voice but also in his eyes, `But with time, with growing-up and making my own mistakes, I realized what my dad already knew. What happened, Derek, that wasn’t your fault. ´

Breathing in a steady breath, Stiles removes his hand off of Derek’s shoulder and probably would’ve removed the hand that had been holding Derek’s if Derek hadn’t swiftly encased it in both of his own hands. Clearly pretending he hadn’t noticed what Derek had done, Stiles goes back to answering the dumb question once more, giving Derek time to calm down, digest what Stiles had been said, and just think for a moment.

A silence fell between them then, and Derek finds it surprisingly comfortable, and although he could suddenly imagine himself perfectly comfortable living the rest of his life sitting next to this person, holding hands and just be together in silent companionship, he feels a need to offer Stiles a way out of this even while the less than human side of him voices its protest. 

`What if I just…´ Derek starts, his words earning a sad smile to appear upon the face that held a peculiar handsomeness, a beauty even that Derek could not really explain.

Again, the human steps right on in, answering a question Derek hadn’t yet even successfully made yet.

`My dad would probably kill me, and he’d be too proud to accept any more help from your family, Derek. ´ Stiles explains, a long and heavy sigh drawn out of him before continuing, `If we were to mate, you’d be family, and family takes care of family, and he’s not going to be able to stop you from helping him out then. ´

Stiles’ reasoning makes sense even to Derek, and it gives him some more insight to the character of this man who was ready to spend the rest of his life with him.

`Plus, let’s not forget the stipulation in the Human and Werewolf Mating Protection Law, ´ Stiles continues, now finished answering the questions the sisters had thought important centuries ago, `it stipulates that you, the werewolf, have to within the span of a year after the mating has taken place, gift my living-parent, or guardian, the legal-sum set by our own county. ´ Stiles goes on to say, there’s a degree of distain there, as if Stiles found the law outdated which many did.

`And you as the werewolf, are required by the law to pay a monthly sum of two-thousand dollars for the first-year of our mating, to the parent of your mate or their legal guardian. I swear this law was designed to ensure you werewolves wouldn’t want to mate with a human, or at least to ensure only a few of you can afford to do so. Proven more so by the ridiculous compensation a werewolf has to pay the parents of the human if a child is born none-human, like why would the father of the baby have to pay the grandparents anything just because the grandchild is born a werewolf? Makes absolutely no sense, none. ´

Derek can’t help but find Stiles beautiful as he rants on with passion about the Human and Werewolf Mating Protection Law, and at the same time there’s something absolutely adorable and familiar about it too.

Once Stiles was finished pointing out each ridiculous law, most so outdated one would think there would be no one willing to uphold them, Stiles looks positively mortified and quickly apologizes for pretty much dumbing down the whole seven-hundred paged law written long before either one of their grandparents were even born.

`God, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me to shut-the-hell-up. ´ Stiles groans, cheeks red and reeking of humiliation.

`I didn’t mind it. I’m glad one of us has a handle on the law. ´ Derek is quick to respond, eager to try and remove the displeasing sent that now coiled itself around Stiles.

`Really? ´ Stiles enquires, and it’s painfully obvious that he doesn’t believe a word Derek had said.

`Really. ´ Stiles clearly doesn’t believe him, but that’s not all that important now.

`Listen. ´ Stiles sighs, after the brief moment of silence, during which Derek swears Stiles had attempted to find some evidence that Derek had been bullshitting him, a silence during which Derek may or may not have started to lean towards accepting Stiles offer.

`I know from Cora that you don’t want to do_ this_ stuff anymore, ´ Derek is genuinely surprised to hear that Stiles mention his sister, and to hear Cora had told Stiles about the fact that Derek had no more desires to take part in this ridiculous set-up at the Hesketh-Dubois. The only reason why Cora would tell something like this to anyone would be if she trusted that person enough to do so, and wasn’t that a pleasant surprise.

`And, well, what really do you have to lose by picking me? ´ Stiles enquires, and he has a point.

`I’m not exactly a great catch, but I’m also not horrible. You’ll be able to stay in Beacon Hills, which you might not if you end-up with the wrong beta or an alpha. You’d get to stay with your family, your pack, if you picked me because I _need_ to stay in Beacon Hills. ´ Stiles keeps his voice low, and his attention on the piece of paper before him, a piece of paper realizes Derek should be working on instead of Stiles.

`And there’s more than one member in your family that actually likes me, so that’s also a bonus, wouldn’t you say? ´ and Derek can’t deny that he feels a little bit less anxious knowing that Cora knew Stiles enough to trust him, since Cora seemed suspicious of everyone, `and if you’re worried about whether or not I can be trusted, then call Cora right now. Hell, call Erica and Boyd too. ´

Pushing his chair back and standing-up, picking-up taking his own sheet of paper as well as Derek’s, Stiles encourages him to call his sister, and his best friend and Boyd’s girlfriend, which Derek is immediately tempted to do as he watches Stiles walk away. Derek watches for a minute Stiles, who hands the sheets of paper over to the sisters before reluctantly agreeing to let them introduce him to a couple of alpha’s and betas they think might suite him better than Derek Hale.

**Author's Note:**

> Now, once Derek has talked with Cora who is more than happy to hear his brother might be interested in Stiles, and Boyd who thinks Derek could do worse than Stiles and a very excited Erica, he thinks that Stiles’ offer would be the best option for him to take. He’s also determined to make sure that Stiles will not regret it, and so even after they’ve sign and sealed themselves to one-another, and eventually Derek just falls for Stiles because he fits so perfectly in Derek’s life and if Derek is honest he can’t understand why Cora or Erica or hell Boyd hadn’t just set him up with Stiles. Sure, there are bumps in the road, but every relationship has them.


End file.
